One of Sam Allardyce’s first tasks with Blackburn Rovers could be to sanction the sale of Roque Santa Cruz as the new manager stakes his reputation on attempting to keep the Lancashire club in the Barclays Premier League.

Twenty-four hours after dismissing Paul Ince, Blackburn appointed Allardyce as his successor on a three-year contract worth about £6 million yesterday. The former Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle United manager will take charge of his first game against Stoke City at Ewood Park on Saturday, with Blackburn five points adrift of safety, although Allardyce is partly focused already on the January transfer window and, most pressingly, the future of Santa Cruz.

Having had bids of £12 million and £14 million for the Paraguay striker rejected by Blackburn last summer, Manchester City are expected to make a vastly improved offer when the window opens in a fortnight.

Blackburn are expected to hold out for as much as £20 million, with Allardyce mindful that such a sum would give him scope to bolster a team bereft of confidence and without a league win in 11 matches. Should Santa Cruz stay, which appears unlikely, Allardyce would have little alternative but to wheel and deal, much as he did throughout his 7½-year reign at Bolton, given that Blackburn have next to no money to spend.

Allardyce might have been more averse to selling Santa Cruz had the striker been in the kind of prolific form that brought him 23 goals last season, but the 27-year-old has scored only three times in the league this campaign and appears to have had his head turned by City. Equally, Santa Cruz’s value would plummet in the event that Blackburn are relegated. Allardyce is expected to resist, however, any offers that may be forthcoming for Stephen Warnock. The left back turned midfield player was the subject of two failed bids from Newcastle last summer and City are also monitoring the situation.

The new manager will be presented at a press conference this afternoon and Allardyce said that he would “wait and see” if funds are available next month, although if they are, they will be limited. Blackburn are likely to adopt a “sell to buy” policy.

“I am very pleased indeed,” Allardyce said after returning to management for the first time since leaving Newcastle under a cloud 11 months ago. Asked about his decision to accept a job that he seemed reluctant to take in the summer before the appointment of Ince, he added: “That was all a misunderstanding. I’m just glad I’m here now.”

Allardyce is expected to make sweeping changes to the backroom staff at Ewood Park, with Ray Mathias and Archie Knox, the assistant coaches employed by Ince, due to leave.

Mark Hughes, the City manager and Ince’s predecessor at Blackburn, believes that Allardyce will make a difference and halt a run of six successive defeats, even if the pair are likely to face one or two run-ins in the coming weeks, not least over transfer matters.

“Sam is an experienced Premier League manager,” Hughes said. “He’s had success at a similar-sized club \ in the past. They may be lacking a bit of confidence but he is a big guy with a big personality. He will go in there and try to address things quickly.”

Allardyce is understood to have identified Blackburn’s next seven league matches as critical. After the visit of Stoke, they face Sunderland, City, Fulham, Newcastle and Bolton, his former clubs back-to-back, and Middlesbrough before the going becomes considerably tougher from February.